Beauty and the Gills
by Moffy
Summary: My take on Beauty and the Beast Harvest Moon style. It's gonna be quite a bit different as opposed to the original. The only similarity is that Gill will turn into a beast...only in a slightly different sense Molly/HikarixGill
1. Intro

**So here we go! I read the book Beastly recently and LOVED it. It was reading that, that I got the idea for this fanfic, since I kept picturing the guy looking like Gill :P I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon or any of the character in this fanfic**

**~Intro~**

It was to be the party of the century. Anyone who was anyone would be there.

All of the shops were closed down at the mayor's demand, and no one dared to object, out of fear of having their shops closed down for good.

The church grounds were adorned with twinkly lights of every color, and the edges laced with velvet trim.

The young women of the island had flowing gowns made in attempts to be noticed, and the men had suits and tuxedos of the finest materials. The island community was pulling out all the stops for Gill's 19th birthday party.

It was expected after all, for he was the mayor's son, the richest, and one of the best looking guys on the island. His outlook on life consisted of him receiving anything and everything his heart desired.

The ladies of the island were constantly fighting for his attention and wealth. There always seemed to be a girl on his arm.

As the date of the celebration grew closer, the town got more and more panicked. The last thing you wanted to do was piss off Gill.

Everyone on the island had a job for the event, from preparing the food and decorating the church grounds, to creating a humongous statue of Gill himself! Luna's job for the evening was, as quoted, "Look as hot as you can manage. I don't want an unattractive date." When she first found out she was thrilled, but after the countless early morning jogs, diet shakes, and eyebrow pluckings, she was just as fed up as everyone else.

Ever since Gill turned 16 his father had basically given him control over whatever he wanted, so every year he got the whole island to throw him a huge party.

His 19th birthday party; however, would be the most memorable yet.

**I hope you guys liked the intro! I know it's really short. . .I'm working on the 1st chapter and SHOULD have it up soon :D**

**Please review what you think of the idea! **

**-Moffy**


	2. Chapter 1

**Yay! First Chapter! That other chapter was just an intro. This is the real deal! I hope you enjoy reading it, because I sure enjoyed writing it! :D**

**(Thanks to Courtney for helping me edit :D)**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Harvest Moon or any of the character in this fanfic**

~ Chapter 1 ~

"Where's that sculpture! I need that here BEFORE the party people!" I fumed. _Why is it that when you need something done right away, everyone takes their sweet time? I swear, people are idiots._

"Luke! If you don't get off of your butt and set those lights up, so help me I'll"–

"Ya ya. You'll shut my dad's shop down. Give it a rest, Gill! We've all been up since 5 this morning! All you've been doing is yelling a bunch and flirting with your girlf–"

_I don't have time to listen to his whining. Why would he even care if he'd been working for the last 8 hours? He was invited to the greatest party of the year, wasn't he? Unlike the adults that had to work and couldn't come at all. He should be thanking me. Ungrateful little pest. . ._

"Hey, Gill!" I heard behind me; It was Chase. Chase was one of the few guys on the island I could bear to be around. It must have been his strive for excellence, since everyone else on this hunk of rock was perfectly okay with the mediocrity.

"What's up, Chase?"

"Just wanted to let you know that you're cake's gonna be a little late."

_Are you kidding me? _"Why? What happened?"

"Well, Maya, decided she was gonna help, and thought that it would _help _if she turned the oven up an extra 100 degrees."

_. . .I'm surrounded by morons._ "Why on earth did you let her help?" I seethed, desperately trying to keep my cool. He actually mattered, unlike anyone else.

"She was just trying to help man. She came up and was all 'Chase, c'mon, I promise I won't mess up!' and she looked at me with those big blue eyes. . ."

_I'm going to lose it_"You mean to tell me that my party is being jeopardized because Maya gave you the puppy eyes?" I was furious now. _How could he be so selfish? This was after all my party, was it not?_

"Look, Gill, you'll get your cake. Just chill out get back to ordering everyone around. It's what you're best at. " With that, he turned on his heel and stormed back to the bar. I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath. Today was just not my day. . .

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_Luna will be reasonable. I mean, my date must care about everything going according to plan, right?_

I opened the door to the tailors' and looked around the shop. Shelly and Candace were rushing around trying to finish everyone's attire for the evening. Everything seemed to be in order. I made sure that every girl's dress matched their date's tuxedo or suit.

Anissa was wearing a high-necked gown in Candy Apple Red, and Jin had a black tux with a tie that was the same color as her dress; Maya had a dress with that puffed out at her knees in a Peach, and Chase was wearing a tan suit and a Peach tie; Kathy had an elegant floor-length gown in a shimmering Royal Purple, with Owen matching her dress with a white tux and a purple tie; Calvin was dressing in a tan suede suit and a Yellow-Green scarf, which matched Phoebe's plain-looking calf-length dress; Julius's tux was Periwinkle with a black tie, and Candace was matched with a simple periwinkle dress along with a black wrap cinched at her waist; Selena was wearing what had to be the most complicated looking floor-length gown in the Brightest shade of Orange possible, and matched Luke's white suit and orange tie; Renne's dress was a soft Yellow dress that stopped just under her knees, and went along nicely with Toby's tie and Grey suit . Luna's dress was floor length, covered in sequins, skin tight, and Turquoise in uniform with my jet black tux and Turquoise tie. We had ours kept separately in her bedroom so there wouldn't be any mix-ups. I can't even imagine what I'd do if something were to go wrong with what I was wearing. . .

"Is Luna in her room?" I made a pact to at least try to be polite to the direct family of my girlfriends. "Yes, she's getting ready!" Shelly half shrieked at me and she ran the hem of Phoebe's dress under the sewing machine. Even I wasn't so smug as to mess with Shelly when she was angry, and I sort of liked my face the way it was.

I creaked the door to Luna's room open. "Hey Babe, excited for tonight?" I walked over to her vanity, where she was putting her hair in curlers. "Hiya Gilly! I'm sooo excited for tonight!" she giggled as she playfully tugged on my arm.

_Ugh_. She wasn't wearing any make-up; Very _un_attractive. "That's, uh, great! So where's our dress and tux?" I needed somewhere to look while she finished her make-up.

"They're over there in the white bags. My grandma didn't want them getting dirty."

Ahh, I had more and more respect for Shelly every day; She had taste. I quickly went to the bags and unzipped them. As I stared at the shade of my tie and Luna's dress, I could feel the vessels in my forehead bulging out.

"Luna. . .what color is this?" She skipped over and studied the dress for a second and looked at me. "I'd say it's a teal-ish color. Isn't is pretty?"

"I specifically said I wanted a _turquoise_, didn't I?"

Her eyebrows pulled together for a moment, "Well now that you mention it, I think I remember you saying something like that. But oh well, they both look fantastic!"

My hands were balled into fists. All respect I had for Shelly was gone. I was so pissed off, I was certain I was gonna lose it. My own girlfriend didn't even care that our attire resembled sea weed. _What an airhead._

"Whatever. I gotta go make sure Maya doesn't burn down the church grounds." I turned to leave. "Gilly, Wait!"

She ran over and looked up like she was gonna kiss me or something. _Eww._ She still didn't have any make-up on. I put my hand up quickly and made a break for the door.

"Uhh, why don't you save it for tonight? Oh, and Luna?" She sighed and crossed her arms, "Yes_ Gill_?"

"Don't forget to put on your make-up." I slipped out of that shop as quickly as humanly possible. I wanted to be no where near that girl when those words finally sunk in. Oh well, I'd make it up to her later – when she looked better.

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I only had one more stop before I could go finalize everything and get ready for tonight. Selena and Kathy had the play list and sound system for the night; Those girls were the only people that even remotely seemed to care about music, so I've trusted them with putting together the tunes for the last 2 parties. They haven't messed up too badly yet, but, by the way this day was going, I was prepared for the worst.

When I arrived at the inn, I saw that Owen and Luke were there helping . As I approached the laptop and sound board that was set up, I noticed some genres I hadn't approved of.

"Is this screamo?" I asked in shock as I scanned the play list. "Ya, it's just a couple songs; You know, just to mix things up." Kathy seemed like she could do anything – I found it both appealing and annoying. I was the only one who got to act like that today; It was _my _birthday after all.

"But why screamo? Why not something that's actually music?"

"Hey! That is sooo music! You just don't appreciate anyth– "

Luke had a hissy fit just like always. I wasn't respecting him or something. Oh well, he could just get over it. "Luke, I don't care what you think, k? This is my party and we'll listen to what I approve of, got it?"

I looked around and everyone was completely stone faced and pretending to work their hardest. "Make sure you get that equipment over to the church grounds quickly. There isn't much time before the party starts." I speed-walked out of the inn and straight to the church grounds.

I looked around and was fairly impressed. The lights didn't look half bad and the statue was already in place, even though it was a little too far off to the side, it would work. Tables were being set up and covered with expensive table cloths.

I looked to my side and saw my dad shaking hands with some of the people working. _Why is he distracting them from their work?_ I ran over to him, "Father, can I have a moment?" He smiled at everyone around, "I'll just be a second."

We went off to the corner where the dance floor would be, "Why are you distracting the townspeople?" He just rolled his eyes and smirked, "These people have been working all day! Don't you think they deserve some recognition? Some thanks?"

I chuckled to myself, "Thanks? This party is their thanks!"

"Ah, but what about the people that aren't invited? They're working for you!" He shook his head, "You need to appreciate others more and not take everything for granted! You won't always have these royalties you know."

_What does he know? Who else would be mayor after him? Me of course!Who else in this simple community could handle it?_

"Ya ya, I just want this place presentable when people show up."I turned to leave, "Remember, son, appreciate what you have!"

_What does he know? I have all I'll ever need to be happy; Lots of power, money, and a hot girlfriend. I can't think of any force that could ruin this for me. This iss my time to shine, and I'll make sure that no one will ever forget this night._

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**Finally! I'm so glad this chapter is done. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to make him look like a jerk as opposed to a creep. I _think_ I did okay on the jerk factor. Did YOU spot the foreshadowings? Haha they're in there! I hope this chapter was a success. To be honest when your writing, just to finish a paragraph feels like a success :/ Oh well, I'll start chapter 2 fairly soon! Please review! Reviews are what keep me motivated, and then the chapters are better :D**

**Happy Reading!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Oh my goodness! I'm soooo sorry that I didn't write this sooner! :( I had MAJOR writers' block, and could NOT figure out what to do with this chapter. After a while I got upset with it and just kept putting it off so I wouldn't worry myself anymore :P  
I was recently overtaken with guilt and put this together REEALLY fast, so I'm sorry if it's suck-ish :/ All things considered, what with the putting off and the doing this so quickly, I think it's not half bad ;) enjoy ^_^**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon. Natsume does.

~ Chapter 2 ~

You could feel the excitement in the air. Even though everyone was exhausted from the work they'd done, they couldn't help but be excited when they would see themselves in their dresses or tux, and admire how well they went along with their date. _How good am I?_

I looked at the mirror for a minute...or 20. I hated the color of my tie. _I look like I just washed up on shore. Stupid sea weed color tie._

After looking at myself from many different angles I decided it was time to meet up with Luna. _Maybe _she_ can make seaweed look good._

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I beheld the scene before me. There were tables filled with chips, dip, and every beverage possible; The speakers were set up and playing the approved music I'd previewed; People were mingling and a few were making their way to the dance floor.

I looked at my girlfriend, Luna, and felt smug. _Even _with the sea weed dress she looked sexier than any girl on the island. _I wonder what I'll get if I tell her that..._

"Oh, Gilly! This place looks great!" Luna smiled and hugged me closer. She smelled really good. Like fresh cotton and roses.

I caressed her cheek, " It's nothing compared to you." She giggled. _Score._

I made my way to the mike. I liked to address my guests and remind them why they were there. I also liked my guests to be _sober_ when the heard me talk.

I grabbed the mike and cleared my throat. " Hey, Everyone! The place looks fairly decent!" I head a few people coughing, but I didn't care. They could be bitter if they wanted. "So let's turn up the music and party till the sun comes up!"

I saw Owen give Luke a high five, heard some of the girls giggle, and basked in the great applause.

Chase ran over to the soundboard – Maya in tow – and turned up the music.

Hands flew in the air as the party threatened to fly off it's hinges.

Now we weren't _supposed _to have alcohol, but Chase could always manage to sneak it over from the bar. No one ever noticed the next day, since they just assumed we were exhausted from dancing all night. What morons.

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I think it was about midnight. The night was still young, and no one was seriously smashed...yet.

One of those up-beat girly songs came on and all the girls started dancing really close to each other in a circle. This was one of the best parts of the whole night.

"Oh man, check _them _out!" Luke exclaimed as he made his way to the other guys at the food table.

"Heck ya man! Just look at Kathy's ass in that dress!" Owen leaned forward to get a better look.

"Well, ya! But can you see how _hot _Anissa looks tonight?" I never knew Jin could be so loud and outspoken when he was buzzed... Whould'a thought?

"... Dude, your right..." Everyone confessed. Anissa looked a lot sexier in that dress than I would have ever imagined. _I should've asked _her _to this party with me._

I looked at the girls a little closer. In the back was Candace and Phoebe dancing...in an _incredibly _awkward fashion.

I nudged Chase's arm and gestured to the girls in the back. He squinted as he made out what they were trying to do, and let out a humongous laugh.

"What's up, Dude?" Luke asked, pouring himself another glass of beer.

Chase couldn't answer, so I did for him, " Check out Candace and Phoebe in the back!"

The whole group of guys took a close look and just about died from laughter...except for Calvin and Julius of course. They just blushed deep shades of red and went to stop their dates from embarrassing themselves anymore. _Total losers._

The next song that came on was a slow song. Those were more for the chance for people to get more alcohol. Very few people wanted to pass up the only chance to get drunk like this all year.

"Giiilly! I don't wanna drink! I wanna be with you!" Luna hugged my waist and tried to drag me off to the dance floor.

"But, Luna! Come on, Babe. You can be with me _while _we drink." I offered, hoping she'd change her mind.

"Nuh-uh. I wanna be sober, and remember _everything_ from tonight! I don't wanna _ever _forget a single moment I get to spend with you..." She murmured as she gazed at me with a look I'd seen before. _Oh Goddess. She's falling in love with me. She's gonna chose cutsy memories instead of a _real _good time. Shit. How am I supposed to get _anything_tonight?_

I looked away instantly. I franticly looked around the party for a way out, an escape, any excuse to _not _be with her.

"G- Gilly?" Luna said, looking at me with slightly panicked eyes, "What's wrong? Don't you wanna be with me? Don't you wanna remember this night too?" Tears were starting to overflow and make their way down her face. _I need to end this. Now. _

"Look, Luna, I don't think this is gonna work." I stated firmly, and showed no sign of resolve.

"W- Wait... You're saying that...you wanna b- break-up?" She was going into hysterics, "But I _Love _you!" She was making a scene. Some of the other couples looked up from their drinks and each other, but were _way _to smashed to understand what was even going on.

"Come on, Luna. Just go have a drink and forget about it."

"No! I'm not just gonna do whatever you say, _Gill." _She gave me another look I'd seen before. She absolutely hated me. _Oh well, it's not like I'm not used to it._

"Well than at _least _get out of my face, k? You don't need to spoil the party by throwing a fit like a little kid. Just let it go." _Her face looks awful when her eyeliner is smudged down her face like that._

She rubbed her eyes and looked at me with an expression I instantly recognized as _insane. She's losing her fucking mind! _"No, Gill. _You _are the one acting like a little kid. _You _are the one commanding everyone around like your personal play things. _You _are the one that expects to get _everything _you want! So take a good look in the mirror, _Gill, _because you are all you are ever gonna love!"

She buried her face in her hands and took of for the tailor's. _Stupid bitch. _

I turned around to walk over to the table with the beer, and was face-to-face with someone I'd never seen before.

She was tall, slender, and had long, flippy silver hair. Her skin was like porcelain and her eyes were an unnatural shade of orange. She had a skintight, black dress with a slit up to her thigh on. I look back at this memory and think it would be more appropriate to run or scream, but at the time all I could think was, " Damn... She's _hot!"_

"Well hi there," She said. _Even her voice is hot! _"I heard you were having a party." She put her hand on my shoulder and stared into my eyes. Her hand was extremely cold.

"Why, yes... Yes I am! May I help you to a drink?"

"No thank you. You _could _help me to this though" She leaned in and caressed my face. Her hands were like ice on my skin. I suddenly felt very cold. I looked at her and noticed her eyes seemed to glow. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was my breath. She took a step back and watched me as I struggled to breath.

"You may be wondering what's going on, so I'll let you in on the secret, " She leaned in to my ear, "_Everyone hates you." _she whispered.

"What do you mean?" I gasped, still trying to breath. I knew some people hated me, but _everyone_? What about Chase, my best friend? Or my own dad...did _they _hate me?

"I mean_ everyone _hates you. They hate your personality, they hate your power, and most of all, they hate your slimy, worthless, pitiful attitude." I fell to my knees as I grew more lightheaded. "So in case you haven't really gotten to the bottom of this, take a look at you hands."

I looked at my hands and noticed they weren't quite right. They also felt weird, like I couldn't grip anything. I looked really close and noticed they were shimmering and..._green. Oh Goddess._ They were even webbed.

"What have you done to me?" I gasped again.

"I'm simply making you your true self, and your name fits _so _well!" She watched me writhe on the group gasping for air. I raised my hands to my neck and felt what appeared to be gills."It's a good thing you like the color of seaweed so much, because you're gonna see a _lot _of it from now on."

In desperation, I looked around the Church Grounds. Everyone was falling all over themselves laughing. They were too drunk to have a clue what was even going on.

I took one last terrified look at this...witch, and crawled to the ledge of the Church Grounds. I frantically launched myself into the ocean, where I fell asleep around what I thought, at the time, was a bunch of my ties...but was actually seaweed.

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**Ahhh! It's done! ^_^ This took waaayy to long to write and publish. I apologize again and hopefully I'll get better at this whole "writing" thing :D The reviews kept me motivated the whole time I was writing this, so please don't be shy and let me know what you think! Happy Reading!**

-Moffy


	4. Chapter 3

**.**

**Yay Writing! This came a LOT faster than the last one, and it had everything to do with you guys :D Seriously though, you guys are amazing! Please enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon...Natsume does

**_**

I'd never been depressed before. What was the purpose of it? I got everything I asked for, and everyone was forced to listen to me. I had no reason _not _to be happy. Would you be sad if you got anything you wanted? Some people might say that's not what life is about, but I'm not like most people. I'd always loved superficial things, and never saw anything wrong with it. As long as I got what I wanted, I was happy.

I didn't have the privilege to think like that anymore. Of course, a thing like changing into some hideous sea creature has a lot to do with it.

The emotions when I woke up were overwhelming, since I'd never felt half of them before. First, I was pissed, and I mean _really _pissed. I screamed and pulled at my hair – which was now green...awesome.

Second, I felt confused. I looked around the dark water and couldn't remember how I'd gotten there. It was cold, and that's all I could remember.

Third, I was crying more then I ever had before. I couldn't; however, tell if there were any tears.

Finally, I was so depressed, I just floated through the dankness not caring where I drifted.

I don't remember how much time went passed. I just closed my eyes and felt nothingness. I didn't dare to open my eyes, in case I saw myself.

_This sucks._

After who knows how long, I found myself in what seemed to be a little stream. It was so crystal clear. I noticed what also appeared to be some ruins surrounded by a think forest. _Where the heck am I?_ I turned to my right and saw her.

The Goddess.

She wore a blue dress that looked like it was roman. Her long, blue, shimmering hair was in two braids the came together by her ankles. She seemed to glow, and simply being in her presence calmed me down.

She looked at me with a strange look in her eyes. What was it? Oh, that's right: Pity. I hadn't seen that look since I was little. "Hello Gill." She reached down and patted my head. "I see you've had some trouble."

Her voice was so comforting. Her looking at me made me feel like I could say anything I needed to say. She made me feel safe; like everything would be okay. She made me feel loved, just by her gaze...like a mother.

I broke down in tears.

This time I felt them.

_I haven't been loved since I was little. When she would hold be in her arms and rock me to sleep. When she would wipe my tears. I was loved by the only people that mattered to me, and that was enough. I haven't felt that love in so long._

"You poor thing..." She bent down and rested her hand on my cheek as I cried. "I know what has happened to you. You lost your mother when you were only five years old. After that your father tried to fill your void with money and all the power he could manage to give you. Far too late he realized it was an awful decision, and you went crazy with power and pride. You forced others around you to do whatever made you happy with threats and insults. Then... the Witch of Fugue Forest put this curse on you, that you would live like this forever, and feel what it's like to be put down and spat upon, right?"

I never realized how real it all was until I heard it for myself. I was a monster on the inside and on the outside. I looked down at my scaly skin, and webbed fingers and toes. _What am I going to do with myself? I can't even see my father, or go home..._

"Luck for you though, I know the loophole the Witch failed to tell you."

_Loophole? _"You mean there's a way to reverse this?" I felt my heart leap out of my chest. I could only hope that I could go back, and try again.

"Yes, all you have to do is find true love. Not in the sense that you're most likely used to. You need to find someone that will love you for what's inside."

_Fuck._

"B-But how is _anyone_ gonna love me when I look like this!" I frantically ran my fingers across my face – which was _thankfully _the only part of my face that wasn't covered in scales...but was still a sickly green color.

"That's _true _love, Gill. You need to find someone that will love you for _you. _That, and you need to look inside yourself and find out how to love someone other than yourself... you did once before, remember?"

I remembered my mom's face. Her soft brown hair that framed her porcelain face, and her bright blue eyes...so filled with care...

I shook my head, "But how will I ever meet anyone when I can't even leave the water without gasping for breath?" I gestured to my unsightly gills in desperation.

"Well, I think you're going to have to be more creative than that." She winked and stood up.

"But all the girls on the island hate me! How would they ever look past my face and my personality?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I see someone in your future that will one day be able to look past all of your errors, and love you in the most beautiful way." She smiled and started to back away from me. 

"Wait! Which girl?" I was being pulled back down the stream and into the ocean

"Just keep your eyes open, Gill! Oh, and you have 2 years from the date of your birthday for her to kiss you. If you don't, the curse will become permanent!" She called to me as I was pulled farther away from her.

"_2 years?"_ I yelled back to her. _How am I ever gonna find someone to love me – scales and all – in 2 years?_

"I have faith in you, Gill! Good Luck!" I faintly heard as I was sucked back into the ocean, and shot off toward the harbor with a powerful current.

I looked around to find the opening to the stream, but I couldn't see with all the trees.

The Goddess was gone from my view.

I was all alone.

_

The days and night seemed to blur together as I floated along in the ocean. I never strayed too far from the island, but had to be careful not to be seen.

The only excitement was when the boats would come in, and I would quickly duck down in the shallow seaweed to avoid being seen... not very exciting though.

One day, in the fall, I noticed Pascal pacing up and down the dock reading something.

Toby came out with a concerned look on his face.

I sneaked under the dock so I could hear what they were saying.

"You mean there's someone coming to run that old ranch?" Toby asked in slight confusion.

"It would appear so. She says she wants to come here in the beginning of spring, next year."

_The ranch? Who would want to come and run that old place. The house is in horrible shape, and so is the barn and coop. She must be crazy..._

"So what's her name?" Toby asked. Surely so he could go and tell everyone what was happening

"Her name's Molly." Pascal said, folding up the letter and putting it in his coat pocket.

_Molly..._

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**Ta-Daa! ^_^ and it begins... :P**

I sorta loved this chapter. I was slightly choking up when I pictured Gill losing his mother and forgetting what it felt like to be loved :'(

So as I hope you know, Molly is the American version of Hikari (so they're the same person) For some reason, I liked Molly more for the whole "Beauty" aspect of the story. I'm not sure why...

Again, I LOVE you guys for reviewing! They make me all warm and fuzzy inside :)Whenever I see a new one, it brightens my whole day :D So like I've said before; Don't be shy and tell me what you think about ANYTHING. Happy Reading!

-Moffy


	5. Chapter 4

**Ahhhh! I have had nooo time to write this, so I jotted down little bits during classes I didn't want to pay attention to :P I'm soo busy with choir, classes, and my school's play...sorry! Thanks go to Ben for editing somethings I had to work our! I just finally finished, so enjoy!**

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Living in the ocean sucks. _A lot_

I don't know how mermaids do it. The salt is constantly getting in your eyes, the seaweed is slimy and disgusting to consume, and it you don't move enough...fish actually bite your toes.

To think that just a short while ago I was practically head of the town. Whenever I spoke, people did as I said. With my father taking care of actually running the town I got to act the part of the spoiled prince. It may have been shallow, but it was better then my current situation.

_I hate this_****

I had sorta hoped that after a few months everything would get better, but it only got worse as the seasons changed.

Of course you don't notice the weather getting cold as much when you are constantly in it. Kinda like boiling a frog alive. I _was _as slimy and green as one...

There weren't many way to entertain yourself either when all there is to do is swim in a circle, so I spent a good percent of my time spying on the townsfolk; which is pretty easy since basically the whole town is surrounded by water.

The things I heard from them weren't any different than what I expected.

Everyone at the party during my, umm... transformation was completely smashed. They couldn't remember a thing.

Luna was the only one sober, but she was nowhere near the church grounds when everything happened.

For a couple of weeks the only thing anyone would talk about was my disappearance at the party.

There were a bunch of different theories, but the one that stuck out the most was Luke's. His hypotheses is that I passed out and Harvest Sprites carried me off for testing...

_...I don't get his thinking process at ALL..._

Eventually, everyone came to agree upon one theory. They said that I was so overtaken with guilt and depression from breaking up with Luna, that I threw myself off the cliff.

I have to give them credit. I mean, they were half right; I _did_ hurl myself into the ocean.

The thing that hurt the most about the whole ordeal wasn't the crazy ideas about what happened to me, or the fact that they didn't seem to care what happened to me.

It was that _no one_ looked for me.

_At all..._

I knew I was a jerk and all...but no one? Not even my own father searched for me...

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Watching life was way different than living it.

When you're really living life... It's a lot more fulfilling, satisfying...and a lot less boring.

The little things like walking to work, doing chores around the house...even taking a shower; together those things take up more time then anyone ever realizes.

I never understood what people meant when they said to appreciate the little things in life.

I always focused on the big picture. I didn't care about the little pleasures of day to day life. All I could see was all the power and wealth I would get as soon as I was Mayor. Life was a quick-paced world and I didn't have time to stop and sniff the roses. The little things meant nothing to me and I never imagined that they would.

_I get it now._

So, needless to say, time moved very slowly for me.

Especially considering the deep depression that I fell into, which I'm sure you can relate to...oh wait, no you can't..._ No one can..._

There were so many nights when I laid on the water and heard the people laughing and having fun. It hurt all the more when I remembered how rarely I heard others laugh...or even worse how rarely _I _laughed. __

Most of the time I gazed at the stars and thought of how life could be different. I thought about all the other normal people looking at these same stars. Those people were happy, and if they weren't, then they didn't deserve it. I felt the tears on my face, but couldn't remember when they started falling, and didn't remember them stopping.

Because usually they didn't.

The stars were nice...welcoming. They almost helped me forget where I was sometimes. Almost.

The warm weather was nice, but there was something special about the cold. I felt numb floating in the water. I never froze to death, but was always wondering if I still had my toes... It was kind of nice to forget who I was, if even for just a second.

__

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There weren't many exciting things in the winter. At all... I mean, I heard a couple conversations here and there, but they were all about the same topic.

_Molly_

Pascal had already departed to meet her at the mainland, and they were set to be back just after New Years

I knew very little about her. She was around 20 years old and had just finished a 2 year honors program for agriculture. She didn't have much money at all, so she settled for the empty farmland here for a meager 5,000 G. It wasn't a bad deal, except for the condition and size of the house, coop, and barn.

Other than that, I knew nothing about her

I didn't know her face.

I didn't know her voice.

She was just a name and a story.

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I laid under the stars; floating on my back deep in thought.

It was New Years Eve, and I couldn't fall asleep due to the fireworks and Luke's drunk yelling. Even at the bottom of the ocean I couldn't fully escape the party. The light cut through the water and the crash of the explosives shook the water _just _ enough to bug the hell out of me.

So I gave up.

There was no way I was going to be able to sleep anyway.

Since tomorrow was the first day of spring...and Pascal would be here any day now.

The town was buzzing with anticipation for the arrival of the new farm girl. She was supposed to be great for our town.

The finances of the town were sort of off...partially due to my excessive spending and not helping the shops with their own problems..._I would've wrecked this place if I was in charge..._

The deal with Molly was that she was supposed to go and use the shops as much as she could. It was the only reason that they lowered the price for the property so much.

I thought about Molly a lot. I wondered what her expression would be when she saw the island for the first time. I wondered if she would like living here as much as everybody else. I wondered if she would be as successful as everyone wanted her to be. I wondered if I'd ever get to meet her...

I tried to picture what she would look and sound like. Some days I saw a fair face with deep green eyes and long dark hair, and other times I pictured her as a sun-kissed blond with bright, icy blue eyes.

Her voiced chimed as she said my name, or was as smooth and sexual as the hair framing her delicate face. Sometimes I thought I could actually hear her calling to me. All she said was my name...or maybe I was simply going insane.

Regardless of the specifics, she was always _hot._

There was something about the mention of her name that made my heart leap. The more I thought about it the more nervous and excited I became.

I had a feeling deep in my heart that this was the person that the goddess had told me about. Her name rang in my ears all the time. It coated my thoughts more and more as the day grew closer.

I could hardly wait any longer. I wanted to see her face.

I was curious though... _Why do I care so much about her already?_

The only conclusion that I could come up with was that the only reason I cared was to get my body back to the way it used to be...

I hated myself for feeling this way. I mean, it's what got me in this mess in the first place. I was such an ass. _Why can't I be like every one else?_

I floated on the water and drifted to sleep with my tears all but frozen to my face.

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**IT'S DONE! Finally! I wanted to finish this sooo long ago but have absolutely no time anymore :'( I wasn't ignoring you guys I PROMISE. I really wanted to publish this sooner, and I finally got so fed up that I skipped my homework for the night to type this up... so you guys better like it :P please keep reviewing! It constantly reminds me to keep working! Your guys are great! Happy Reading!**

**-Moffy**

__


	6. Chapter 5

**OH MY GOSH! I've wanted to update this for so long it's ridiculous. Every time I would check my e-mail and see that I had ANOTHER review, I would all but pull the hair out of my head. I am so sorry that I haven't updated sooner, but my life is just so flipping packed. I could go into it but I'm sure you've been wanting to read this chapter for a while now...sorry! :/**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon 

~Chapter 5~

I could feel the air getting warmer. It was the beginning of Spring, and everything – and everyone – was starting to open up and give in to the changing seasons.

I was happy the Spring was here for a multitude of reasons. I was somewhat looking forward to being able to feel my toes again, and the endless snow was beginning to get a little depressing.

Molly would be here soon too.

I had overheard my father talking to Cain – the local rancher – about how Pascal had picked her up and would arrive tomorrow.

I could hardly wait to just _see_ her. I had spent to much time wondering what she would be like, what she would look like, and what her voice would sound like. I had spent so much time dreaming about her...

_I wonder if I'll get to meet her..._

Will she look me in the eyes?...

Will she scream?

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*ding*...*ding*...***ding***...***ding ding ding ding!***

"What the heck?..." I covered my ears as I looked up at my surroundings. The sun was unusually high in the sky. I usually didn't sleep in this late. _Stupid party kept me up all night... _I noticed I had drifted a fair distance away from the island, but could still make out Harmonica Town.

I didn't like being out this far into the ocean. It made me feel far more isolated than I actually was...wait, scratch that. I could _never _be more isolated than simply being out here in the first place.

***ding!***

I jumped and turned to see Pascal's boat moving towards me on it's way to the dock. I gazed at the deck of the ship and picked out a delicate figure clutching the railing.

_Molly_

I quickly started studying her appearance. She had short brown hair that flipped every-which way around her jaw. She was of average height; not really short, but definitely not tall. She was wearing some worn out sneakers with a pair of old jeans and a generic green t-shirt.

She was half bent over the railing, and was looking at something intently. Her eyes were squinty, which was strange considering that it wasn't even that bright out that day. As the boat grew closer and closer to me her gaze got more and more focused. I looked around myself as I tried to figure out what the heck she could be looking at...

_Shit!  
__  
_I frantically dove under the water and into the seaweed. From the security of the water I continued to look at her.

She was completely hunched over the side of the boat as she searched the water and seaweed. It had been so long since another person had seen me, and was a humbling feeling as I considered her features compared with my own. She might have not been drop dead gorgeous, but she was beautiful in comparison with my own revolting appearance.

I sat in the seaweed as I watched Pascal's boat make it's way to the dock. Molly was _still _looking into the water, no doubt in search of the horrifying monster.

_Who am I kidding? Why would a cute, smart girl like her love a hideous creature like myself?_

I slipped deeper into the sand as this realization sunk in. I had never been an optimist, and I wasn't about to start deluding myself into thinking that I had even the slightest chance with her.

I looked down at my hands amongst the seaweed. They were the same color and equally slimy... Even after all this time I was still revolted by the very sight of myself. The greenness, the slime, the scales... and even the fact that I got myself in this mess by being a selfish, pompous jerk. _How could I ever deserve someone like Molly? _What really stung was that I know for a fact that if I met a creature like myself a year ago I would've turned her down without a second thought. How could I ever expect someone to love me when I don't think I'll ever deserve it?

Luna's words echoed in my head now more than ever. I know that if I would've continued as I was I would've never been able to love, and I still wasn't sure if I ever _could _love. Yet, as I observed the look on Molly's face I couldn't help but wonder if I could maybe love her...

As I thought about this, I realized an important piece of information... _How the hell am I ever gonna get to talk to her?_

My instincts kicked in as I thought about actually meeting her for the first time. The very thought made my palms sweaty – if I wasn't underwater. I felt my heart beat out of my chest and couldn't figure out how I was going to introduce myself. _How is this gonna work? I can't just pop up onto the beach out of nowhere and proclaim, "Hello miss! I'm a slimy, frightening monster that lives in the ocean! I have been waiting eagerly for your arrival!" That's _not _gonna work!_

*sigh* I forced myself to calm down a little bit. Having these extreme mood swings was _not _going to help me with any of my problems. _Maybe I could use a little more sleep... _I felt my worries twist into stressful dreams as I drifted to sleep and sunk deeper into the sand.

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The days passed quite slowly from there on. From the moment Pascal's boat docked my life took on a new meaning. I was no longer moping along the seafloor, but spent even more time on the surface. I won't lie, I spent much of my time observing Molly. While I realized how creepy it was, there was almost nothing I could do about it. I was more caught up in her life than she was. It even got to the point where I had her schedule memorized.

Every morning she would get up at 6 0'clock sharp and tend to her crops – I never could figure out how such a delicate looking girl could do such hard farm work without breaking her arms in half. She would then take care of all of her animals – 2 cows, 1 sheep, 1 horse, 2 chickens, and 2 ducks. After that she would go and tend to her business in Harmonica Town, Flute Fields, and the Garmon Mine District.

I know that I couldn't do any sort of physical labor when I was human. I spent most of my time thinking that I was running the island while my dad was out being the face of castanet and doing all the real work. Most of my time was spent behind a desk and my lack of muscles represented that fact well. So how did this delicate little girl manage so much? She was doing as much labor as Owen and Luke, but wasn't anywhere close to them in size. She worked so hard all the time, and I never got the feeling she did anything halfheartedly.

Even though I knew she was stronger than me, there was always a part of me that wanted to protect her. When she would trip and fall I would all but run up onto the shore to help her up. Throughout her work she never showed signs of wanting to quit either.  
_  
_I remember when we had the annual Island Run. We would run from the entrance of Fugue Forest, to the Garmon Mine, and then to the dock... The first time I participated I made it to the Watermill before I collapsed with fatigue.

We didn't have the Island Run anymore after that...

I noticed; however, that I wasn't the only one that had taken a liking the new farmer. Townspeople from all over the island were constantly going out of their ways to help her out. Cain had given her a cow, Ruth had given her practically a lifetime supply of seeds, and Simon had given her a free camera!

The one that infuriated me the most was _Luke._ At first he was just there to assist Dale in the upgrades for her house, coop, and barn, but even after all that he would stop by to give her some honey he found, or some flower he saw on the path to her house.

It was sickening to watch.

I spent so much of my time wrapped up in her life, to realize that I had hardly any chance of ever being a part of it. How could I be? I was a sick monster stuck in the ocean. My only way of having anything to do with her is through a supposed myth that told me I had some destiny! How was I even supposed to know if that's who I really even talked to? I was so messed up during those first few days that just about anything could have happened and I wouldn't have been able to recognize it.

_I'm sure I was disillusioned. I'm just a pathetic excuse for life, and I should just accept it._

I couldn't believe what I had lost. I had a seemingly perfect life with power and wealth, and I wasted all by focusing on what didn't even matter. All I cared about was what I could gain for myself in the superficial sense. It never occurred to me that there might be something else for me aside from all of the fancy parties and authority.

All that mattered was me.

I saw that my life had been empty. There was nothing substantial, and as long as I continued to think like that, that's all I would ever be. A shell. An empty, worthless, pathetic shell. I knew I had lost what had once made me a person on the inside, but I wondered if there could ever be a way to gain it back; to discover what it was like to have a soul.

So as I stared at the lovely farmer's home, and saw her gaze out into the distance with thoughtful eyes, I wondered if she might have the gift to show me what it was like to truly live.

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**HOORAY! It's done! Can you believe it? I actually updated my story! I'm just as amazed as you guys, honestly.**

**I really wanna keep writing this story, and the one thing that always keeps me writing is the reviews from you guys. It's seriously so amazing to know there are people out there that appreciate what ideas that I have, and I thank you guys every time I read them. (they're also a nice reminder that I need to keep writing, and I can't just ditch this story for how many months?)**

**Also, some of you have been reading Three Ways to Love, and have been asking if I'm going to update it. Well I haven't updated it in about a year, and I'm really not sure where I was going to go with it at the time, but if I get enough people bugging me about it, I might pick it up again. Please don't get too mad if I don't, because I'm insanely busy with school and extracurriculars :'(**

**Happy Reading!**

**~Moffy**


	7. Chapter 6

**Okay...so it's been a good 6 months since I've updated... I wouldn't blame you guys if you all hated me and wanted to give up on this story because I'm an awful person...but please read it anyway...? please? I wish I could give some excuses as to why it's been so long, but i've been on break...so it's just sad. Sorry :'( I hope you guys like this chapter, nonetheless :)**

~Chapter 6~

It was exactly 6 o'clock.

Well... I think it was. That was the time Molly got up for her farm work. That was another downside of living in the ocean. I couldn't tell what the time was or what day it was. I couldn't even watch the weather channel...

But I'm pretty sure it was 6.

Her day started as usual; She got up and started to water her crops. It was so cute how she took her time watering each individual plant. She'd crouch down and even brush dirt off some of the leaves. After she watered everything, she went to pull weeds.

I wondered if she payed attention to the weather. It looked like it was going to rain today, so why was she bothering to have them watered twice?

That's when _he _showed up.

I swear, you could hear him coming from a mile away, Luke sprinted down the side of the mountain yelling, "Molly! Hey Molly! Look what I found!" He had something cupped in his hands.

Molly laughed and rolled her eyes. She turned to him while wiping the sweat off her forehead, "What is it Luke?" He ran up to her like a hyper-active 3rd grader. You could tell by the look on her face that she was trying to be serious, but was definitely holding back a laugh.

He tried to whisper, but I could still hear him, "Be really careful. It took me all morning to find this" he carefully moved his hands over Molly's, so what ever he had was in her hands.

"Oh my gosh!" She squealed. She held her hands out in front of her face and opened her hands – a huge grin on her face. A little purple butterfly quickly flitted out of her hands. "Where did you find him?" She asked in the most adorable voice.

"Over by my place, in the Goddess Ponds." He scratched the back of his head and blushed. _I hate him. _"Usually they're on the mainland during this time of year. I guess he got left behind."

Molly's eyes followed that butterfly like her life depended on it, "Poor little guy. I can't imagine being on my own like that; All alone, no one to confide in... I couldn't live like that." She watched as it flew away from her and towards the mainland.

It was almost cruel really. Here I was, slimy, miserable, and alone, just like that _stupid _butterfly. And she actually felt bad for it! It's like, I felt like even though I had the same loner status as it, it would never be enough. Even if I could meet Molly, get to know her, and even fall in love with her, how would things progress if all she could do was feel sorry for me? I wondered if she would ever even be able to love me.

They just stood there and watched as he flew over my head. It drove me crazy. I wanted to be in Luke's place so freaking much, it was almost unbearable. Even to get the opportunity would be incredible, but what were the chances of that happening? If only I could've known the repercussions of my actions before that event on my birthday. I could _be_ with Molly right now. Bringing her flowers, showing her butterflies that I just _happened _to find while out on a walk, or even just telling her how pretty her hair is when the sun shines on it_ just _right. But...would it have actually been like that? If I was still a person – living like I had been – would Molly have even given me the time of day? _I doubt it. _No, maybe things had to happen this way. And who know? Maybe there will be a way for us to meet some day...ugh probably not. _I'm so screwed._

I looked over from the butterfly to Molly and Luke on the shore and all but had a panic attack.

We locked eyes. Right there. She saw me. Her face was full of shock, confusion, and probably fear. I didn't get that good of a look before I dove under water.

_Dammit_._ What the hell am I going to do now? That look on her face? How could anyone that looked at me like that _ever _like me, let alone love me? _ _There's no way. No freaking way._

I peaked at her through the water. She was still gaping at the water, trying to figure out what she saw, I think. Luke was totally oblivious to the whole thing. He was trying to get her attention. But her eyes were glued to the water. I bugged me that I couldn't read her face. She wasn't outwardly scared, but she was definitely...confused.

I had a small moment of hope. What if she was one of those girls that loved the idea of a good fairytale? What if she was secretly hoping for something special to come along? I also realized that this might not be the best thing. What kind of girl would _want _to meet something like me in hopes of finding true love? _ Ugh! This sucks..._

After a little while it started to sprinkle, and then started pouring. Luke got her to snap out of it before it started raining too bad, but they were both still soaked. She quickly ran to the barn to finish her chores, and Luke barreled off toward the Carpenter's.

Aaaand I was right back where I started. Alone, depressed, with water running down my face. Well, at least it wasn't tears at this point. I felt so...lost. I had no idea what to do? I mean, she's seen me. There's no denying that, but what next? Do I say hi? Wave? _Ugh. _I was so drained from all this. I just wanted to curl up in my bed and read or drink hot chocolate or _anything _other than being stuck in this stupid water!

I leaned back as I closed my eyes and floated in the water, enjoying the sensation of all the little raindrops falling on me. As I laid there; however, it started rain harder. Like, as in it started to hurt. And as soon as I was upright I noticed how hard the wind was blowing too. The waves were getting pretty big too.

I had never really encountered a storm out here before, so I had no idea what to do. But at the time, I figured the best thing to do would be to just go under and wait for the whole thing to blow over. It's not like it was hurricane season, so it couldn't be that bad of a storm.

As I nestled into the sand, I decided that I wasn't going to spend any more time on this today. I was just going to relax and get some sleep. I had this crazy idea that I would feel better when I woke up.

I was _so _wrong.

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So here's what I remember.

It's hard to be sure, since it was so dark and everything, but I'm just taking a guess that the storm hard gotten a _lot _worse while I was sleeping.

The sky was really dark. Not like it was night, but that the clouds were just that dark. And the wind was blowing really hard. The few trees I saw were being whipped all over the place. Plus it was raining even harder than before.

But like I said; this is just what I remember, because shortly after I surfaced, a huge wave picked me up and threw me dangerously close to shore.

There was a reason that you never saw anybody swimming on Castanet, and it was because of the rocks all along the beaches. You could only go out a little bit before coming across a bed of rocks. They weren't the super jagged kind – cause if the were, I wouldn't be here any more – but the smooth kind. People didn't like to swim here because they were so slippery that they were extremely unsafe to be on.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I landed headfirst on those rocks, because as soon as I heard the crash of the wave, everything went black and cold.

But like I said. That's just what I remember.

I did have a really weird dream though. I was a human again. I was walking around the town, and everybody was always really happy to see me. They would wave and ask me how I was doing, and give a real genuine smile. And despite all of these kind gestures, all I would ever find myself doing was simply glaring at them and walking away without a word. And even after that they would still smile and wave goodbye. And finally I made it to Molly's doorstep. I knocked and stood there as I waited for her to come to the door. When she answered she looked furious. She screamed at me to get away from her, that she didn't want to even look at me. She spit in me face and slammed the door in my face. I couldn't see my face, but I knew what it looked like. I was...smiling – stunned with the fact of being in her presence. And despite the joy of being able to _stand _in front of her, I was still crying at the fact of this would be my fate, even if I could become human. Why would she love me?

Maybe that was the thing. Maybe that's something I need to get through my head. Maybe just because I have good looks, power, and money, I'm not that great of person. In fact, maybe that makes me even less of a person for having to fall back on those things to get people to like me... Why would Molly want someone without a personality like myself?

Maybe she wouldn't, but maybe – just like that butterfly – she would show affection for me being lost and broken.

But I wasn't a butterfly. Not even close.

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**Wow...it's done! YAY! Ugh, I'm an awful person for not having this done earlier...I mean, I made you guys wait 6 months? That's ridiculous... just saying...**

I seriously have to thank you guys for all of these reviews. I mean, they make me feel guilty for not writing, so it's a good thing! I didn't even wait for a decent time to post this. I just put it up when I finished (which is about 2:15 am)So ya, I'm also working on 2 other stories, but this one sorta has preference what with all of the reviews and such :) Thanks so much for reading and putting up with me guys ^_^ you're awesome, and see you next chapter!

Happy Reading!

~Moffy 


	8. Chapter 7

**Mmk, so I was extremely inspired to write, so I did :D I know it's weird that I wait 6 months to update, and then do 2 updates only a day apart, but hey, would you rather wait a month or so?I felt that I HAD to write at least one chapter from Molly's point of view, because otherwise she would never seem _real_... At least to me anyway ;) This chapter took too long to write. Mostly because I was distracted with Tosh.0 and The Lonely Island...oops :P I hope you like it! **

~Chapter 7~

~Molly's POV~

I stepped into my house in a daze, and soaking wet. _Where did all this rain come from?_

It seemed like it had come out of nowhere. One minute I'm having a normal conversation with Luke, and the next...

I wish I new.

It was like this one moment had completely changed my life, which is _so _unlike me. It's ridiculous. The whole event had me mind-blown in so many ways. First off, Luke didn't see it, so there's no provingI'm even right about any of this. Second, I _know _I've seen that face before. It was the first day I came here. When I was on Pascal's boat. And third, it was impossible. How could a creature like that be real?

When I was a little kid, my favorite story was always Beauty and the Beast. To me it was the only fairytale where the two main characters actually got to know each other before falling in love. Any other story involved only the briefest greeting and BAM! They were in love. It didn't make sense to me then, and it doesn't make sense to me now.

I changed into my warmest pajamas and slippers, and started heating up some milk for hot chocolate. That's what I loved about cool, rainy days. You could sit inside and get all cozy. I could only imagine what it would be like to not have this luxury. To be out in the cold without any escape...I wouldn't last long, that's for sure.

I walked over to my window to look out at the storm. It had really gotten bad. The clouds were getting scarily dark, the waves were huge, and there were already some giant branches in my yard. There was no way I could go out in this weather today.

I turned and went to watch the weather channel on the tiny little TV that I had brought with me from college. Mayor Hamilton was giving the island a rundown on the storm, " We're experiencing the outer edge of a tropical storm that's passing through the area. It's too dangerous to go outside, so please stay inside until it's safe. Please don't go outside til we okay it!" I turned the channel to cartoons. It was much less...informative. _Why wouldn't people know to stay inside during a storm like this? Does he think we're all stupid or something?_

I wasn't the biggest fan of Mayor Hamilton. He was always a little too perky for my taste. There was something about his disposition that was a little _off _to me. Like he was only putting on his happy-go-lucky attitude as a facade against everyone around him. It was as if he was missing something that was dear to him, but didn't want anyone to know about it. But, I've never been good at reading other people, so how was I supposed to know? _I'm probably wrong, but I have to wonder..._

I went back over to the window to look out at the storm some more. It had gotten even worse out there. The waves were bigger than any I had ever seen before, and the sky was almost pitch black. It was only 10 o'clock and it was like night. I felt myself yawning. When I was little, my mom would always take a nap when there was a thunder storm. She said that the patter of rain on the roof put her to sleep better than anything. I definitely inherited that trait, and found myself curling up in my bed.

I took a second to get as comfy as possible, and rested my head on my pillow, feeling happy that I had a cozy bed to sleep in, and feeling sorry for anyone without one.

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I woke up about 2 hours later when the sun poured in my window. I was surprised that I had slept for so long, but felt strangely on edge. Like there was something wrong that I had to tend to immediately. I didn't think too much of it. I had felt this way before.

I was interested in seeing if anything interesting had washed up on shore during the storm. During a vacation to a beach, I remembered all the cool seashells that washed up. It was something I always like to do, so I thought, why not?

I quickly got dressed and ran out the door. I checked on my animals first though, since I was sure they'd be a little shaken up by the whole thing. Sure enough they were all huddled in a corner, so I put fresh food in their troughs and coaxed them away from the wall. My chickens were pretty clueless, so I didn't have anything to do with them.

I started off for the beach, happy that I had done my job for the day. Everyday I loved how this opportunity had turned out for me. Sure, starting a farm wasn't _exactly _what I thought I'd be doing. Especially since I had gotten my degree in agriculture, not in anything dealing with animals. It was nice to know that I had found something I could be good at.

I continued to the shore with a small, satisfied smile on my face. I was _really _happy here, but...I still felt like something was missing, and I couldn't put my finger on it. _Eh, who cares! It's a beautiful day! The sun is shining, the ocean is calm, and there's some cool looking seashells too! Oh and over there's a –_

…

I couldn't believe what I was looking at – gaping is more like it. It was like all of the things I was worried about at this point didn't mean anything anymore. I was in shock, and could hardly move from where I stood.

It was him. Well, I didn't know what it was till this point, but you get the point. He was just laying there. He was facing me with his eyes closed. A huge cut was on his forehead, a decent amount of blood trickling out of it.

_What do I do? Do I call Jin? Do I help him myself? Do I leave him here like I never saw him? Why didn't they cover this in community college?_

I started to panic. What if he bled to death? Any of those dramatic, out-of-this-world fantasies I had about my own fairytales would be impossible if he _died._ I knew what I had to do. It could end up going horribly wrong, and I might even come to regret this in the end...but that didn't matter at this moment. Nothing mattered. Not these stupid seashells, not this island, and definitely not my paranoid livestock. No. I'm not sure, but this felt really important.

I quietly tiptoed over to him. This would get _so _awkward if he woke up. I went to pick him up, and as soon as I touched him my hand slipped along his skin. Well, scales. _Ew. I've never liked fish for this specific reason. Ugh, scales are gross!_ I took a deep breath and tried again.

After a little bit I finally got him hoisted over my shoulder. _He smells like fish... hold on. You can make it._ It was a good thing I had been doing all this farm work for the last month or so. I'm not sure if it was necessarily that, or if he was just that light. He didn't look like he had any fat on him whatsoever. _What _does _a fish-person eat? Fish? Isn't that cannibalism? Or is that just when people eat each other? Ugh, but __**raw fish**__! Eww... _

I finally made it back to my house, and set him down in my bathtub. It may sound weird, but I had a bathtub in the corner or my house. It was, after all, a one room house. It was the only thing I could think of.

As soon as he was in the bathtub, I looked at his face and it seemed strangely blue. I panicked when I saw that he had gills. _Oh my gosh! He can't breath! I'm going to kill him before I can even save him!_

I quickly filled the tub with water, and while that was going on, I ran back and forth between the tub and the sink with a cup, trying to get water through his system. A sigh or relief escaped my lips when I saw the blue fade from his lips as the water rose in the tub.

As soon as that was out of the way, I started working on getting the cut on his face taken care of. Luckily for the both of us, his face wasn't scaly, so I could work on it without getting super freaked out. The cut wasn't too deep, and it didn't look like it would need any stitches. Which is great, because I have no clue what I would've done if it would've been that bad.

I stood up and beheld my work. I had successfully saved this fish-person from certain doom, and he was safely sleeping in my bathtub...

_What have I done..._

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**So you might've noticed a different vibe with Molly's point of view. I kinda like her a little spazzy, but I'm pretty sure most of that came from the fact that it's **_**way **_**to late for me to be up writing...especially the night before my senior pics :P oooh well. Too late now.**

So I hope you liked this chapter. Depending on the feedback I may or may not do another chapter from Molly's POV in the future. Idk, I like Gill's bitter undertone form this fic, but Molly's scatterbrained attitude keeps the story a little more...lighthearted :D And ya, Me tired is a lot like her. Especially once she got to the beach...haha I hope you liked it! Please remember to Review if you liked it!

Happy Reading!

**~Moffy**__


	9. Chapter 8

**Update! YESSSS! It's been a while, but not 6 months! :D I'm sorry this took so long. School's crazy. I hardly ever get to be home any more. Most of this story was written on scraps of paper during my government class :P It's a little longer than my other chapters, and I'm not really sure why... Oh well. I hope you guys like this. I'm not very used to writing dialogue. It's been a while since I've written any. Regardless, I hope you guys like it!**

~Chapter 8~

I woke up feeling really heavy. I couldn't even open my eyelids; that's how bad it was. I could hardly tell where I was, but I knew I wasn't in the ocean anymore. I could tell because the water wasn't salty. It was too clean. Like...bathwater.

_Am I dead? _I could faintly feel my limbs. I wasn't floating, but was resting on something. There was a faint smell. Like...must and...something cooking...i think it was some sort of pasta.

_Maybe I washed up...into a pond..by the inn? Chase's house? _I was so confused. I wanted to open my eyes and get a look around, but there were 2 things keeping me from doing so. 1: My head was sorta spinning and I felt too weak to move. 2: I was scared out of my mind.

I was too scared to move for what felt like forever. As I came to my senses a little more, I could feel the difference in the air. It was calm. That was incredibly rare out on the ocean, or anywhere on this island. I was starting to get the feeling that I wasn't even outside anymore. _Where the hell am I?_

I was still too freaked out to open my eyes. I could feel my hands on a smooth surface underneath me. I slowly pushed myself, careful not to slip. My muscles were so sore, they were like noodles. I'm guessing I made it up about 1 inch before my arms gave out and I bashed the back of my head against whatever it had been resting on. A moan escaped my lips.

"Oh my Goddess! What happened?" I heard from a somewhat familiar voice.

_No. Fucking. Way._

My eyes shot open and I was face to face with _her. Molly. _I think my heart stopped a little at that moment.

As soon as we made eye contact, she froze for a split second, staring at me. I'm sure I scared her. I _was_ pretty freaky looking. She was definitely shocked, but I could've sworn I saw a slight expression of relief on her face. Like she had been waiting for me to open my eyes.

As soon as I had recognized what had happened, it was over. Molly rushed to my side and quickly began patting at my forehead, and when she pulled the gauze from my face, I saw blood. She quickly – and panicking – proceeded to pull out a new, clean bandage.

Maybe my heart did stop. It was like, for a second, I wasn't even a part of my body. As if I were floating above it all. _I'm in her house! _That was all that ran through my mind..well, that and the concerned wrinkles on her forehead, the worried expression in her eyes, the way her hands knew exactly how to take care of everything, and the way her hair softly flipped around her face... What was I supposed to do? Introduce myself? Say thank you? Scream? Screaming felt like a good idea, but the sound wasn't coming.

I'm assuming she was done, because she fell back and sat next to the tub, about 4 feet away from me. We both just sat there, staring at each other and panting, unable to find words.

_Come on Gill, you can do this. You've been waiting for this moment for almost a year. Here's your chance... Say something, damnit!_

"So, umm...would you be hungry, by chance?" She asked, her eyes wide with anticipation. She was probably just as freaked out as I was; Maybe more.

Food? Now? Of all the things I imagined would be the first things we would say to each other, I have to say that food was not the topic of choice. But, I guess if I were in her position, I would be thinking along the same lines. Maybe it would be better for the both of us if the conversation didn't start off with such a serious, grave topic.

I nodded, averting my gaze as she got up. I looked around the small room. In the opposite corner was a bed, next to that was a small phone, a bookshelf, dresser, tool box, and simple kitchen. She was flitting around her kitchen, stirring various pots of steaming stuff and adding stuff after she's tasted it. I'd never been good at cooking, unless cereal or, like, a salad counted. Which it didn't.

Eventually she came over to me and gave/shoved a plate of food at me and almost ran back to her kitchen to get some for herself before she sat down on the edge of her bed. I felt bad that she was so blatantly freaked out. I may have been conceited before, but I could still tell when a girl was feeling uncomfortable. She just sat there...looking like she had so much to say, but was _way _to scared to.

I looked down at the plate of food. This was my first meal in almost a year, and I hadn't even taken a bite yet? I held it to my face and inhaled. _Tomato. Risotto. _I hadn't had a tomato in forever, and I practically inhaled it, once I'd realized what it was. I couldn't remember the last time I felt something warm slide down my throat. I had lived off of seaweed for so long, I had almost forgotten what real food even tasted like. I wish I could say that the food was an example of how she was even more of the perfect person that I had made her out to be, but to be honest, I really couldn't tell what it tasted like. Like I said, I _inhaled _it.

Before I realized what had happened, Molly was grabbing the plate from my hands and filling it up again. She stiffly held it out to me. I hesitated, wondering if it was alright to take so much from her in such a short amount of time. "Aren't you hungry? Even if you're not human, all guys like to eat...right?" She looked on, questioning her own theory. Luckily, I was still starving, so I gladly ate more. She sat back down at her bed and took little bites from her plate. _How is it that everything she does is so damn cute? I swear, the more I see, the more I like her._

After I'd finished that plate, I couldn't eat any more. I'm pretty sure my stomach shrank while I was out in the ocean. It made me sad though. The more I ate, the more I realized she really was a _great _cook. I wanted to eat more, but I _couldn't_.

After I got over the strange feeling of actually having something in my stomach, I looked over at Molly again. She was washing dishes in her kitchen. I wanted to help her so bad. I couldn't move though. _Stupid gills..._I hadn't even said anything to her yet, and she had already done so much for me. I was hardly even deserving of being called a man. Of course, some would argue that I wasn't even a man...but still, it wasn't right.

_Here goes nothing._

"...Umm...thank you" I said. Molly jumped, almost dropped a dish, caught it, set it down, and whipped around to face me before I could even figure out what happened. It was the first time I had even said anything since I saw the harvest goddess all those months ago, so it scared me a little too. Her face was a shade of red. Like she had forgotten I was there.

"Ya, ya..no problem" She looked at the ground and scratched the back of her head. I didn't want this to turn anymore awkward than it already was.

"...I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but how did I get here?" It felt weird talking again. It had been _so _long since I'd even had anything to say.

She relaxed a little and sat down at the edge of her bed again. "Well, you remember that storm?" I nodded, "That was 3 days ago."

"_3 days ago?" _I asked, trying to stifle my shock. I remembered that storm. Well, I remembered it for little while before I blacked out. How long had I been sleeping in her bathtub?

She nodded, "I went for a walk after everything had died down. You were sorta face down on the beach, so I decided to bring you back here.." Her face was beat red.

I could only imagine what it must've been like for her. Going for a simple walk to the beach, and finding me there. Judging from the throbbing in my forehead, there was probably a lot of blood too. How would I have reacted, if the rolls would have been switched? Would've I have helped her? Would I have been able to look past the scales, the blood, and my own superficial attitude?

"You were bleeding really badly, and I wasn't sure you were gonna make it. That's why I was so surprised when you finally woke up" I didn't know it was possible, but her face turned _even _more red.

"It seems like you knew what you were doing. Who knows what would've happened to me if you hadn't come along." I felt a smile creep onto my face, and I turned away with heat rising to my face. "I could've died there. I _would've _died without you...saving me, that is.." I looked at Molly and she had also looked away, her face still red.

_She looks so cute when she blushes. I wonder if she's always this flustered, or if it's just because I'm here. While I am somewhat accustomed to girls blushing when I talk to them, I'm pretty she's not worked up for the same reason. There's a fine line between gorgeous blue eyes and perfectly styled blond hair, and slimy scales with green skin._

"I guess it was pretty lucky I found you, huh?" She crossed and uncrossed her fingers, "It was also pretty good that you're wearing pants," A blush still on her face.

I found myself getting just as embarrassed as she was. It _was _pretty convenient that I had decided to keep my pants after the incident. At the time, I couldn't stand the idea of accepting my fate, so I wore my full tuxedo for about a month. After that, frustrated, I took off my jacket. It was like a floodgate of emotions rushed through me at that moment, because I quickly started pulling off my seaweed tie, dress shirt, and even my expensive dress shoes and socks. I went to pull off my pants, but paused. I swore to myself that I would not lose my last shred of my old life. I felt if I did that, I would be giving up on myself. No matter how convenient it would've made my life, I couldn't give in. Those pants were my last grip on reality.

Good choice.

I burst out laughing, " I can imagine why _that_ might be important to you!" There were tears running down my face. I could hardly even tell if it was from how hard I was laughing, or from the shock of actually having something to laugh about. "Of all the things you could be thinking about, you worry about whether or not I'd be wearing pants?" I gasped between fits of laughter. Through the tears, I could see Molly laughing too. Not as much as I was, but enough that she felt she needed to cover her mouth. I finally calmed down enough to hear her laugh. It was cute _and _funny; cute in that it was this high-pitched giggle, but funny because she sort of sounded like a guinea pig.

"Well think about it! If you would've been naked...I very well might have left you there" She smirked, crossing her arms.

"...Fair enough, fair enough" It's very likely that if I would've been naked, I would still have been laying on the beach, face down in the sand.

"So, I've got to be honest. I'm not really used to this...sort of thing." She scratched the back of her head.

I couldn't blame her. No one should be used to this. "I get what you mean. I'm not used to this either" I gave a nervous laugh. She looked at me, confused, her head tilted to the side.

"What do you mean? Waking up in a stranger's bathtub? I would think that's be an everyday occurrence" She looked at the ground, stifling a giggle at her own joke.

_Why is she so damn cute?_

"Nah, I do this all the time" I wasn't sure if making jokes was the right way for us to start getting to know each other. I wanted our first meeting to be something serious and earth-shattering. A part of me wanted to take this conversation in a more serious direction, but by the way she was laughing into her hands, I couldn't stand the idea of making her stop so soon.

"Honestly though," she looked at me with a sort of seriousness, " I'm curious, where are you from? Are there others like you?"

"Others like me?" I looked down at my skin, only just now realizing how ugly I must look to her, and anyone else for that matter. Had I been lying to myself the whole time? It felt like any hopes I had were ripped from my hands. I wanted to sink down to the bottom of the ocean, but even that wasn't an option for me at this point. It felt like all of my problems had been solidified at that one moment.

"Wait, I- I didn't mean it like that.." She stammered, trying to make eye contact with me.

I had a sort of revelation at that moment. It was obvious I wouldn't be able to win her over with a wink and a smile, but with a stunning personality. I couldn't rely on good looks to win any one over. Even though I hardly had any sort of _personality_, I had to try.

_Ya, right_

How was I supposed to pull that off? My whole life I never had to worry about any sort of character. My looks and money got me anything and any one I'd ever wanted. For the first time in my whole life, I would actually have to work for something. There was no other option.

"You honestly want to know?" I asked her. She nodded , "Well, maybe I'll tell you some day. Not today" She folded her arms in a pout.

"That's not fair.. Don't you owe me? Since I saved your life and all." She raised her eyebrows at me.

"Maybe, but what fun is it if I cave the first time you ask me?" The reality was that I had no idea what to tell her. I couldn't tell her I'd been transformed for being an asshole to everyone I knew. That wouldn't score me _any _points. I needed more time to come up with a good response. Something that would make her think I was some extraordinary being that had crashed into her life. I had to get that story to make a real impression.

_Ya, Okay. I'll get right on that..._

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**Taa-daa! It's done! I feel like this chapter started out really well, but towards the end, it kind of died. Like I said, I've never written a chapter this long before O.o Haha, Anyway, I really hope you guys like it. You're reviews are so amazing, you have no idea. It means so much :)**

I've honestly been so busy(I was the student director for my school's children's theater, so I had NO freetime!), and I don't think it's going to get any better anytime soon. I'll keep trying! Reviews definitely help remind me to keep at it, so don't be shy! Let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!

~Moffy__

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	10. Chapter 9

**An update? Is she even alive? Yes, yes I am. I'm so sorry guys. It's been, like, a year since I've updated. I feel so bad, but I really didn't know where to take this story, let alone this chapter. I kind of threw it together, but I hope you like it all the same :)**

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The following days went by in a sort of blur. I would wake up to her alarm every. Single. Morning. At 6 o'clock, and then just sit around in her tub until she got home. There wasn't anything for me to really do except to stress out about what the fuck I was going to say to her when she got home. The funny part was that I never really had to say anything. Every day she came home she would prattle on about the gossip around the Island. Things like how Jin had _finally_ proposed to Anissa, Luke and Selena were back on, and all of the Garmon Mine District was complaining about Kathy and Owen being too loud after their drinking contests at the bar.

Some things never change, I suppose.

But sometimes we had the most amazing conversations. She would tell me stories about her time in college, and how she loved the cities that she's lived in even though she thinks she's more of a small-town-girl. She talked about her family, and how much she missed her little brothers. Even about how terrified she had been to travel to this remote island and start a farm, but that she was so glad that she did. And sometimes we would get each other laughing to hard we'd cry...

Her laugh could melt my heart

And we did this almost everyday. Obviously there were days that she couldn't spend all of her time with me, and it was fine.

Regardless, it gave me a long time to come up with a cover for my...current state.

I had a lot of different ideas.

The first story I'd come up with was that I was a former prince of the illustrious underwater kingdom known as Atlantis. All my life things had been handed to me, and I had never wanted anything that I couldn't have. And if that wasn't enough, I was also the favorite among the kingdom to assume the crown after my father. I was also well known around the kingdom for being the top student among my siblings through our private tutoring sessions. Ya...and then when all was about to be mine..I was overpowered, by 10..no..30 of my brother's secret service members, knocked unconscious, and taken to this remote island..

But why would she love the loser brother? The egotistical maniac that got too power hungry for his own siblings to tolerate. The spoiled brat. It scared me, because I realized how embarrassed I was of my own past.

So that one was out.

My second idea was to tell her how I had been a thrill seeking explorer. Girls love explorers, don't they? I would tell her about how I had been on my riskiest expedition yet. I was going to explore the surrounding islands, and try to discover why the elements had been diminishing. On a stormy night, I was trying to find a place to land, but could only find rocky waters, and we were eventually taken out by the waves. Before dying, a mermaid found me and gave me the ability to breath underwater so she could save my life. Unfortunately it went horribly wrong, and I became something too hideous for even her to look at, so she abandoned me.

I couldn't do this one either. Maybe because it hit too close to home. Even though I would look like a heroic victim, it was way too real when I thought of telling her about how abandoned I felt. I didn't want her pity, no matter how much I craved her attention.

No. I wanted her to love me because of who she saw. There's no way I could tell her some made up story, but I also couldn't tell her what life I had lead. If I did that, how would she ever love me? I wouldn't even love someone as self-centered as myself. 

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It wasn't out of the ordinary for me to doze off during the day. It wasn't like I really had anything to do. A lot of the time I would wake up when I heard the ground crunch under someone's feet outside. I had grown accustomed to the silence of the ocean that any little sound woke me up instantly. It was sort of lucky in a way, because then no one could sneak up when I was there alone, and if they knocked on the door or peaked in the window I could hide first... Molly and I figured that the best way to do this was to throw a tarp over the tub since the story was that it was broken anyway.

Anyway, it was just another day when I awoke to the sound of someone running outside. It wasn't a panicked run, but an excited run...almost a skip.

Molly flung the door open and looked at me with a big smile. "Hey!" she beamed. There was a brown bag in her hands.

Seeing her was always a little scary. It was scary because, well, I never really knew what she was going to do. Even when she was asleep, she could freak me out by talking. But she also scared me in a good way...I think.

I smiled. I couldn't help it, "Hey," I couldn't get her smile out of my mind.

"Guess what I got today?!" She teased, holding her bag up.

"I don't know, you tell me." I replied, sticking my tongue out at her.

She gasped, "That is no way to treat someone who just went to the bar and got their famous tomato risotto!" She set the bag down on her counter and pulled out a huge styrofoam to-go box. She opened it and the house immediately smelled of tomato sauce and pasta. It was incredible.

I took a deep breath and sighed. "I really do miss the smell of Chase's cooking." Molly froze as he scooped the pasta onto a plate.

"...How do you know that Chase is the cook?" Molly asked, still facing away from me, suddenly frozen.

_How the** hell **do I explain that?! I thought she'd mentioned him! Crap!_

I tried to play it cool, "I've heard people talking when they walk by, Molly. I have a pretty good idea who's who now. And you've told me plenty ab-"

"But I've _never _mentioned Chase before. Someone really walked by saying, 'Oh hey, that Chase is a pretty good cook that works at the bar!' That doesn't make any sense!" She sort of yelled. I couldn't blame her. The story was total bullshit.

"How else would I know that, Molly? It's not like I can go anywhere." I tried to look defenseless. I tried to rely on the fact that there really was no other way that could even be possible. Except for what the actual reason was, which she had no idea about.

I saw her shoulders rise and fall as she took a deep breath and continued to scoop the risotto onto the two plates, "I guess you're right. I'm sorry, that wasn't fair of me." She turned to me with an apologetic smile on her face, "I mean, I'm the only person you see all day. It's gotta get lonely, and it's not cool of me to freak like that." She handed me my plate and I smiled back at her.

_You're the only person I'll ever need._

I sensed that this topic was far from over. I knew that if I ever slipped up like that again...I don't know, something bad would happen. It really didn't even make sense for her to be so suddenly okay with it, but I couldn't think of anything that she could do to figure it out.

Man, was I wrong.

"Don't worry about it. I'd be freaked out if I were in your shoes too." I shrugged my shoulders and started eating. Molly smiled, shook her head, and sat down to eat.

I really _did _miss Chase's cooking. I missed his perfection and attention to detail.

This made me wonder. What was going to happen if I got this curse broken? Would I be able to go about my life? Would I be able to go and see my friends? My father? What about my job? Would I be able to be Mayor?

What about Molly?

What if this whole situation impacted her? Would they think she had something to to do with it? Would they call her a witch?

I couldn't think of it. I couldn't imagine the idea of her not being here. She had become so important in such a short amount time, but I couldn't picture a world without Molly.

My risotto suddenly tasted sour.

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**Well, there you have it. It's been so long that I hope this was up to par with everything else. I really want to start writing more often, and I hope that I can do a better job of keeping up with this story. I have a good idea about where this story is going to go now, epsecially with the potential plot twists in this chapter ;) So did you guys like it? I love to hear what you guys have to say. Any way, here's to me hopefully not waiting a year for the next chapter!**

**Happy Reading!**

**~Moffy**


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